


Out of the Drift

by Clever_Girl



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Codependency, Crossover, F/M, Jaeger PIlot crossover, Mind Meld, Partnership, mentors as copilots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-17
Updated: 2013-07-17
Packaged: 2017-12-20 10:33:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/886227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clever_Girl/pseuds/Clever_Girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The neural handshake should feel more unnerving than natural. Having someone in your head should be more awkward than comfortable. Being drift compatible was one thing, whatever-this-was was another.</p>
<p>Fusion with the Pacific Rim universe</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out of the Drift

**Author's Note:**

> I've been kind of obsessing over the idea of Hunger Games mentors/tributes as Jaeger co-pilots.

Coming out of the drift seemed to take forever. Each time the neural bridge disengaged, it seemed more reluctant. Not that the bridge was its own entity, of course. Beetee shook his head to clear his thoughts. They were nonsense.

He pulled off his helmet, watching as his co-pilot did the same. His partner. Wiress' hair stuck out at all angles from being confined, and she wrinkled her nose as she attempted to pat it down. "Good mission. That kaiju was..." her words drifted into silence, a trait Beetee was very used to by now. She didn't need to finish her sentence when Beetee spent so much time in her thoughts anyway.

"...a strong one," he finished automatically. "Yes. Nothing a little zap couldn't handle, though." Wiress shot him a crooked grin. The electric weapon was her original design. They'd worked together on the prototype and he'd done most of the arguing when the shatterdome team was reluctant to listen to a couple of young pilots. They hadn't trusted an electric weapon on a Jaeger designed to fight in water. It had taken several demonstrations to prove that the prongs could pierce the kaiju hide and conduct the zap safely.

Now, they had a high kill count and several other Jaegers had been outfitted with the weapon. Zeta Surge was still one of a kind though. Beetee patted a cockpit wall fondly as they walked to the doors. They could leave as soon as they docked fully and all the excess water had been pumped out. He rubbed his temples, looking forward to ridding himself of the battle goggles he had to wear in the suit and putting on his regular glasses again. Coming out of the drift always gave him a slight headache and the goggles weren't helping.

Beside him, Wiress sighed. “It’s getting harder to disengage, isn’t it?” Beetee nodded. “I think my body fights it. System goes into shock, can't quite handle the…”

“Loss.” Beetee took her hand in his, threading their fingers together. He felt the loss too. He felt the keen ache left when her mind wasn’t connected with his. He could feel all the empty spaces where she _should_ have been, like an amputee still feeling the severed limb. He was fairly certain that the neural handshake wasn’t supposed to feel this comfortable, this _right_. The Jaeger program wanted pilots who were drift compatible, not whatever this was. Dependant on each other.

“If we tell them about the difficulties coming out, will they stop us from piloting together?” Wiress’ brow was wrinkled in worry, and Beetee wished he had the ability to smooth it, to tell her everything would be alright and comfort her.

“They monitor everything, Wire. They know. We don’t need to tell them.” She whimpered slightly and he gripped her hand tighter. “We have a great record together, I’m sure we’ll stay partners.” Wiress nodded, unconvinced.

She shivered as though trying to shake off her discomfort. “I don’t like this feeling. It’s so lonely in my brain without you.”

“Mine feels cold. Too chilly without your warmth.” He unclasped her hand in order to slide his fingers through her hair, pulling her mouth to his. She kissed back fiercely, nipping and pressing as her fingertips bit into his hips.

That’s how they were found when the shatterdome bay doors finally opened. They kept kissing as they were welcomed by the celebrating crew.


End file.
